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A review by booksafety
Spooked by Jay Leigh
4.0
Book safety, content warnings, and tropes down below.
We weren't fueled by lust or passion or wanton desire. There was no pawing or clawing or desperation. We were simply two men taking a brave step into uncharted territory—together.
This little book made me really happy. A relatively straightforward story and romance between two men with amazing chemistry. A small part of me wanted to see how their chemistry and connection would translate in bed, but the bigger part of me was happy with no spice for these guys. It felt right that their focus was elsewhere. Instead it focused on someone fitting seamlessly into a family, a very sweet dinner date, grief and loss.
I thought the novella had a lovely and realistic portrayal of navigating finding love for a second time after losing the one who was supposed to be your ‘forever’. It was heavy and sad in some ways, but not overwhelmingly so. Lincoln was such a good match for Chip, letting him find his way, understanding and encouraging the love Chip still had for his late husband.
It also has some immaculate fall vibes, a super cute and mischievous cat who refuses to stay put, lots of candy corn and a couple cute kids. Absolutely recommend it.
“You know the saying—grief is just love with no place to go. If you can find a way to channel that unspent love, you’ll get through this. I know it's frustrating. Hell, sometimes it feels so damn heavy… but love is never wrong. No matter how you process that love, no matter how long it takes, it is never, ever wrong to love so deeply.”
Absolute gushing aside, there were a couple scenes I would’ve loved to see. Obviously not a lot of room in 111 pages for everything, but still.
⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
Small town
Novella
Single dad
Doctor MC
Neighbors
Silver fox MC
Cat dad
Widower
Divorced MC
Bisexual MC
No spice
⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Mentions of death of husband (past, cancer)
MC with symptoms of depression
Disordered eating because of depression
Mentions of SC struggling financially
Injured child (minor, scrapes from falling)
Feelings of loss and grief
Mentions of death of parent (past)
Hypochondriacal SC
Injured MC (minor)
Mentions of divorce (past)
Mentions of (unfortunate) custody arrangements
Sort of estranged parent to MC’s children (ex wife)
⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
Breakup: No
POV: 1st person, dual
Genre: Contemporary romance
Pairing: M/M
Strict roles or versatile: N/A
Main characters’ age: 36 and 44
Kids’ age: 5 and 12
Series: Interconnected standalone
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Pages: 111
Happy ending: Yes
“Chip,” I blurted. “Pardon?” “Charles is stuffy. You could, if you wanted, call me Chip?” I cleared the sudden thickness from my throat with a quiet cough. “I want.” He grinned again as we fell into stride, walking abreast down the aisle. “Linc. “How very monosyllabic of us.”
The cause of death on my death certificate would most surely read anaphylaxis from an allergy to flirtation.
“Join me?” “Yes, please.” I barely recognized my own voice for how breathy it sounded, quietly clearing it with a small cough before trying again. “I'd like that. Thank you.”
You can find most of my reviews on Instagram as well: https://www.instagram.com/booksafety?igsh=MWZ3azhkdDc2Y2ludg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
We weren't fueled by lust or passion or wanton desire. There was no pawing or clawing or desperation. We were simply two men taking a brave step into uncharted territory—together.
This little book made me really happy. A relatively straightforward story and romance between two men with amazing chemistry. A small part of me wanted to see how their chemistry and connection would translate in bed, but the bigger part of me was happy with no spice for these guys. It felt right that their focus was elsewhere. Instead it focused on someone fitting seamlessly into a family, a very sweet dinner date, grief and loss.
I thought the novella had a lovely and realistic portrayal of navigating finding love for a second time after losing the one who was supposed to be your ‘forever’. It was heavy and sad in some ways, but not overwhelmingly so. Lincoln was such a good match for Chip, letting him find his way, understanding and encouraging the love Chip still had for his late husband.
It also has some immaculate fall vibes, a super cute and mischievous cat who refuses to stay put, lots of candy corn and a couple cute kids. Absolutely recommend it.
“You know the saying—grief is just love with no place to go. If you can find a way to channel that unspent love, you’ll get through this. I know it's frustrating. Hell, sometimes it feels so damn heavy… but love is never wrong. No matter how you process that love, no matter how long it takes, it is never, ever wrong to love so deeply.”
Absolute gushing aside, there were a couple scenes I would’ve loved to see. Obviously not a lot of room in 111 pages for everything, but still.
⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
Small town
Novella
Single dad
Doctor MC
Neighbors
Silver fox MC
Cat dad
Widower
Divorced MC
Bisexual MC
No spice
⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Mentions of death of husband (past, cancer)
MC with symptoms of depression
Disordered eating because of depression
Mentions of SC struggling financially
Injured child (minor, scrapes from falling)
Feelings of loss and grief
Mentions of death of parent (past)
Hypochondriacal SC
Injured MC (minor)
Mentions of divorce (past)
Mentions of (unfortunate) custody arrangements
Sort of estranged parent to MC’s children (ex wife)
⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
Breakup: No
POV: 1st person, dual
Genre: Contemporary romance
Pairing: M/M
Strict roles or versatile: N/A
Main characters’ age: 36 and 44
Kids’ age: 5 and 12
Series: Interconnected standalone
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Pages: 111
Happy ending: Yes
“Chip,” I blurted. “Pardon?” “Charles is stuffy. You could, if you wanted, call me Chip?” I cleared the sudden thickness from my throat with a quiet cough. “I want.” He grinned again as we fell into stride, walking abreast down the aisle. “Linc. “How very monosyllabic of us.”
The cause of death on my death certificate would most surely read anaphylaxis from an allergy to flirtation.
“Join me?” “Yes, please.” I barely recognized my own voice for how breathy it sounded, quietly clearing it with a small cough before trying again. “I'd like that. Thank you.”
You can find most of my reviews on Instagram as well: https://www.instagram.com/booksafety?igsh=MWZ3azhkdDc2Y2ludg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr